A lawsuit was filed Friday after a Nebraska high school shut down its student newspaper because it objected to certain LGBTQ content.
The Nebraska High School Press Association, along with high school journalist Marcus Pennell, filed the suit, reports NBC News.
The lawsuit takes aim at Grand Island Northwest Public Schools and its superintendent, claiming they violated the students’ First Amendment rights by shutting down the paper.
The newspaper issue that sparked the controversy was published in June of 2022, and included an article titled “Pride and prejudice: LGBTQIA+,” which focused on the origins of Pride Month, as well as the history of homophobia.
Student journalists included another article opposing Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which restricts certain school lessons on sexual and gender studies.
Three days after the issue’s publication, the staff of the Viking Saga newspaper were informed it was being shut down, due to objections with their latest coverage.
“It is hard to find words for what it felt like watching people who were supposed to be supporting our education instead silence us for covering issues impacting our lives,” said Pennell, the former student. “I was crushed.”
In an email from May 22, a school employee said they were halting the printing of the paper “because the school board and superintendent are unhappy with the last issue’s editorial content.”
Pennell, who identifies as transgender, according to the lawsuit, was also told that he and other writers for the paper could not use any name different than the ones given to them at birth. Additionally, they were not allowed to include pronouns in their bylines.
Since the cancellation, the paper has returned in digital form for now.
The lawsuit seeks acknowledgment from the school district that they violated the law, as well as unspecified damages.
